A longtime staple in the UNC student union is reaching its final days.
Alpine Bagel Cafe, located on the top floor of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union, will permanently close after a final day of operations on Friday, May 9. UNC Media Relations confirmed the closure to Chapelboro after the business displayed a whiteboard near its counter on Tuesday alerting customers of the change.
Photo by Ben Crosbie/Chapel Hill Media Group.
The whiteboard message — which made the rounds on social media Tuesday afternoon — said UNC’s dining services leadership ended the café’s contract and the business would miss its customers. The university’s media relations, meanwhile, said the change is part of regular reviews of campus dining services and the decision to end the partnership with Alpine was “supported and approved by the Student Dining Board.”
“We are truly grateful to the many students and staff who have made Alpine Bagel a part of their campus experience over the years,” UNC Director of Dining Christen Carawan said in a statement. “While saying goodbye to this location isn’t easy, we’re excited to introduce a new dining experience this fall that we believe will continue to meet the needs of our community.”
UNC Media Relations confirmed Carolina Dining Services will launch a new breakfast and lunch concept in the space at the student union, which will be managed and operated by CDS.
Alpine Bagel Cafe has been open in the Carolina Union since at least 2003. While contracted with Aramark and Carolina Dining Services, the bagel shop is owned by the Food People Restaurant Group based out of South Carolina. As of Tuesday afternoon, Food People Restaurant Group has not responded to Chapelboro for comment about the upcoming closure.
A student favorite because of Alpine Bagel’s variety of bagel types, grab-and-go meals and hours extending from early morning to the evening, the café is included in possible meal plan options for UNC students. Once it closes, the fast food chicken chain Bojangles would be the only restaurant open in the student union — although Carolina Dining Services contracts several other businesses to offer food in the nearby Lenoir Dining Hall.
In its final days of operations, Alpine Bagels warned customers it may not have all typical food options available to customers. Its hours on Thursdays and Fridays are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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